Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Unilateral Decision Making in Human Resources
Unilateral Decision Making in Human Resources Human resource management is a series of activities which first enable working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship and secondly, ensure that the agreement is fulfilled Torrington and Hall (2002: 13). There has been an argument about who are the decision makers in the organisation. Is it the Management who are responsible for strategy forming and implementing the strategy or is it the employees who are the life line of the organisation who have the knowledge about the product. Who are best capable of making the decisions? In the essay there is the discussion about the various perspectives and the way decisions are taken. A brief introduction of three types of perspective: Unitary Perspective: A Unitary perspective has one source of authority and one focus of loyalty, which is why it suggests team analogy. Each accepts his place and his functions gladly, following the leadership of the one so appointed. Fox (1966) ( pg 2). Pluralistic Perspective: A Pluralist frame of reference recognises that the legitimacy and justification of trade union in our society rests not upon their protective function in labour markets or upon their success, real or supposed, in raising the share enjoyed by their members, but on social values which recognise the right of interest-group to combine and have an effective voice in their own destiny. This means having a voice in decision making. Marxist Perspective: the Marxist perspective sees the process and institution of joint regulation as an enhancement rather that reduction in managements position; at best they provide only limited and temporary accommodation of the inherent and fundamental division within capitalist based work and social structure. In the essay we would be concentrating more on unitary perspective and pluralistic perspective as they have closer relevance to the statement/argument. The essay gives the outline of how various perspectives effect the decision making process. The effects of various factors on factors like employee relations, employee contract, job regulations, and perspectives have been discussed representing them with a few examples. The corporation is the master, the employee is the servant. Because the corporation owns the means of production without which the employee could not make a living, the employee needs the corporation more than vice versa. Peter Drucker Business Capitalism Work Management regards its own unilateral decision-making over Human Resource issue as legitimate and rational; any opposition to it, either internal or external to the organisation, is seen as irrational. Managements unilateral decision making over Human Resource issue is legitimate and rational can be accepted only if the employer and employee feel that they are one big family (unitary perspective). As fox has summarised that the unitary perspective can be justified when employees and employers have a common goal and objective i.e., to maximise the success of the organisation and workers willingly accept to obey the decision taken by the management. Armstrong (1999) says that the philosophy of Human Resource Management with its emphasis on commitment and mutuality is based on the unitary perspective.fox also states that in unitary perspective there are no teams. Nor are they any outside it; the team stands alone, the members (employees) have an obligation of loyalty to their leader Fox (1966) (p.03). Therefore from the above references it is clear that the decision taken by the management is legitimate and rational and its the duty of the employees to follow it without opposing it. The employers are responsible for the effective running of the organisation and they would have a long term plans of the organisation and the decisions would be taken according to the company vision and objectives. The employees need to understand that the employers would always think to better the company and maximize the profits, opposing decisions taken by them would not only be disloyalty shown towards the organisation but also unethical practise to go against the people who have provided them with food and shelter which are the basic needs (Maslows hierarchy). The above statement is very strong in countries like India where the trade unions have more political view than the welfare of the members of the trade unions. The trade unions go on strikes just to overpower the management. States like West Bengal where the trade unions have the upper hand to the management. That is the main reason why no multinational company wants to set up their base in west Bengal. Whereas states like Karnataka where the unions are discouraged have come up because the IT industry does not encourage trade unions. It may not affect the Industry, but there would be change in the perception and image of the industry if trade unions are introduced. We must seriously consider whether it is the right time to have trade unions in the IT sector. It might hurt the industry Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO MD, Infosys Technologies (Forbes rated Infosys among the 5 best performing companies in the software and services sector in the world). The success of the organisation has been unitarist approach. Unitary perspective also overcomes the problems of disputes between rivalry unions. In this method the accountability becomes clear because everyone is assigned a responsibility. Unitary perspective approach towards job regulation is unilateral in internal regulations. A unitary approach manager takes all the decisions without the consultation of the employees as the employer would know best for the employees. If the decision would be put forward to the employees there would be conflicts of interest. For example during the recent recession period, when the companies had to lay off employees it would not be advisable for the organisation to consult its union about whom and how many are to be removed. The union which is formed for the welfare of the employees would not agree to such decisions and hence it would result in strikes (Jet Airways employees calling for a strike because 150 of its employees were given the pink slip. The organisation was going through huge losses and the only way it would reduce its loss would be by reducing its man power which was not accepted by the Union, hence it resulted in strike). Therefore it is necessary for an organisation to limits the powers of trade unions in decision making. When the Theory X and Theory Y- Mc Gregors is taken into consideration it proves that employees of Theory X would oppose any decision taken by the management as the employees under theory X dislike work and do not care about the organisation goals. Thereby it becomes necessary for the management to take the decisions and employees opposing it are seen as irrational. But the organisation does not have any control over the external Job Regulations because external job regulation consists of forces which are partially outside the enterprise. Therefore, the organisation does not have complete control over the external job regulation. In context with the labour contract, the unitary perspective manager recruits the employees for a particular assignment and when an employee enters into a contract with the employer its his/her duty/responsibility to follow instructions given by the employer, as the statement refers anyone opposing it is seen as irrational would be true because when an employee goes against the contract it is irrational or not fulfilling the terms of the contract. The method of negotiations and bargaining is not encouraged in unitary perspective because the organisations face the problem of firstly recognizing the right union (multiple numbers of unions in an organisation has increased). Therefore the only way to solve this problem would be non recognition of unions. If the management needs to make unilateral decisions which has to be accepted by the employees the decision makers need to have a few traits in them. Firstly they should have a problem solving ability and how they can fit into the wider scheme. Secondly they should have a strong desire to achieve the goals, they should be self confident and self disciplined, they should have the ability to listen and communicate effectively. Finally they should be analytical and intelligent (not to intelligent). Robert.H. David Wilson. Managing organisations. (Pg198) When Unitarism is related to the labour process it becomes clear that the management has the whole authority to make all the decisions because in it is perceived that all the raw materials, means of production and the product of labour belongs to the management. Therefore the decisions taken by the management are legitimate and rational as they own everything and anyone opposing would be considered as irrational. The statement holds true in this situation because once a person/organisation is the owner of a particular thing, he/they should have the freedom to do what he/they want to do with it, without anyones interference. When there is a problem with the organisation it is the management that is held responsible for it. For example even if an employee has faulted in his work and the customer may have some problem with it is the organisation that has to pay the compensation to the customers not the employee. The statement is only applicable for a unitary approach organisation but it has its own draw backs which are low employee morale, low productivity and absenteeism, negative attitude towards work/ job, management rivalry, disagreement, incompatibility, incongruence. There may be various reasons for the following. But to avoid the following there has to be a two way communication between the employee and the employer. The above theory can be accepted but to a certain extent as the external factors cannot be controlled by the organisation. Factors like supply, demand, government policies all play a major role in the working of an organisation. Therefore external factors cannot be considered as irrational. The organisation needs to be flexible and change accordingly to the change in external factors. According to Dunlop (1950) industrial relations system consists of three agents management organizations, workers and formal/informal ways they are organized and government agencies. The Du nlops model gives great significance to external or environmental forces. In other words, management, labor, and the government possess a shared ideology that defines their roles within the relationship and provides stability to the system. The Dunlops theory projects that all the actors have to a common understanding; they cannot work without each others support. The effect of a decision taken will have an effect on the other actors; therefore considering there interference is irrational will not help in the smooth running of the organisation. This is the reason why trade unions were formed which represents the employees. Trade unions have been recognised by all the governments. In a free market unions are encouraged as it is a symbol of democracy which allows the employees the right of expression. In the modern day business there are new techniques like Delphi method; Quality Circles are introduced for the betterment of the organisation. This shows employee participation in the de cision making process of the management has become very important; therefore the management considering any opposition from the employees as irrational will be wrong. A unitary approach becomes really hard when the company is a Multi National Company, because the business market would be different in different countries therefore having a unilateral approach may not suite the organisation. To gain a competitive edge the organisation needs to make the best use of its resources and there are more chances of mis communications in unitary approach, which may result into conflicts. A pluralistic perspective completely agrees with the above said statement as a pluralistic manager believes conflicts are inevitable. It is something that cannot be avoided. The only way the conflicts can be solved is by collective bargaining. In a collective bargaining, its a Win-Win situation for both the employers and the employees. It keeps the morale high and even the productivity high. Therefore considering any interference of the employees of the organisation as irrational cannot be justified, its the right of the employee to have a say in the decision taken by the employer as it will be the employees who would be following those decisions. Ex. If an employer decides to extend the shift (working hours) it has to be consulted with the employees as it will be them who would be working for long hours. If the decision is taken without consultation it would result in conflicts. Every organisation has a member representation of the employees because the organisations have understood the importance of employee satisfaction. Therefore the above statement cannot be agreed on if the organisation follows pluralistic approach. Workers in various countries have been opposing the unilateral decision making process. They feel the managers have been mis using their powers. Even though the management owns the organisation it can only buy the labour power it cannot buy labour because labour is not saleable, therefore the management can restrict its decisions to labour power not labour. Therefore any decision taken which affects the labour can be opposed and it would be considered as rational. When pluralism is related to job regulation as stated by Bean (2000) (p.370) it is generally conceded in the liberal democratic world that working people should have the right to participate in the making of decisions that critically affect their working lives. From the above quote it shows the importance of employee involvement in the decision making process. The employers need to understand that employees play a major role in functioning of the organisation, by involving them into the decision making process not only increases the motivation of the employees but also increase the productivity of the employees. In the modern techniques there are various methods adopted like to increase employee participation in the organisation. It may sometimes result in new fresh ideas which may work in favour of the organisation. Therefore considering ideas from the employees while making decision can be very useful. Sometimes these ideas may contradict the decisions of the management, the manage ment needs to analyse the suggestion and implement it if it is for the betterment of the organisation. The management cannot consider these ideas as irrational. While making rules for the organisations various factors influence them, factors like State, the availability of labour. Supply and demand etc. play a crucial role and none of them can be considered as irrational when they oppose the decisions made by the organisation. The draw backs with pluralistic approach would be rivalry between the trade unions, it makes it hard for the organisation to negotiate when there are more than one trade unions and hence the unions and the management would loose valuable time and money in negotiating the problems. It is the duty of the unions to act as a mediator between the employees and management, but the unions have become so political that they just see how the party(the political) party they represent is benefitted. Example. TATA Nano project was shifted from Singhur (West Bengal, India) to Gujarat (India) because the opposition party wanted to put the ruling government down. There was loss of employment for the state (west Bengal) when the company made the decision to move out, and the union did not achieve any gain out of it. Therefore it can be concluded that the unions no longer work for the welfare of the employees, they have diverted themselves to work for the political party that is supporting them. The Marxist approach states that the management makes profit by exploiting the labourers, i.e. by paying them low wage compared to the work they have done. Conclusion From the above arguments and analysis it becomes clear that the argument is an Management regards its own unilateral decision-making over Human Resource issue as legitimate and rational; any opposition to it, either internal or external to the organisation, is applicable only in Unitary Perspective but this can be implemented in very Public/Private sectors. Some organisations have been successful after adopting such approach but this method cannot be adopted in all sectors as in this fast growing business world and the rate of attrition increasing it becomes very essential for an organisation to take care of its employees and other concerns which are attached to the company, considering their opposition as irrational can be very easily be a reason for the downfall of the organisation. An organisation may enjoy supreme authority when they have a unitary approach but the organisation to decide its transfers and promotions very carefully. It would play a major role because if a manager is recruited from outside the organisation may not be able to adapt to the organisations culture and there would be regular oppositions for his decisions. From the above essay we can argue that no one type of perspective is suitable for all organisations. Some companies may adopted a particular perspective and been successful but it does not confirm that all companies will be successful by following such a perspective. An organisation may have both Theory X category employees and even Theory Y category employees, it is the responsibility of the managers to use the resources available and make the best use of them. To conclude from the above essay it can be concluded that an organisation needs to be flexible but also needs to have authority over its employees. The management needs to take suggestion from its employees but the final decision needs to be taken by the management and its the duty of the employees to follow the decisions as they are under contract/agreement with the employer to render there services to the organisation. The management can have complete control over its internal part of the organisation and anyone opposing it would be going against the contract therefore can be considered as irrational but this can be said the same towards the external forces, the management does not have complete control over them, and considering their opposition as irrational would not be appropriate. Both the perspectives have their own advantages and disadvantages, its the responsibility of the management to balance their business and make profits after all- The only and only social responsibili ty of a business is to make profits- Milton Friedman (Noble Prize in economics).
Monday, January 20, 2020
Acid Base Extraction Essay -- essays research papers
Acid Base Extraction The purpose of this laboratory assignment was two-fold, first, we were to demonstrate the extraction of acids and bases, finally, determining what unknowns were present. Second, we were to extract caffeine from tea. These two assignment will be documented in two separate entities. Introduction: Acid/base extraction involves carrying out simple acid/base reactions in order to separate strong organic acids, weak organic acids neutral organic compounds and basic organic substances. The procedure for this laboratory assignment are on the following pages. 3) Separation of Carboxylic Acid, a Phenol and a Neutral Substance      The purpose of this acid/base extraction is to separate a mixture of equal parts of benzoic acid(strong acid) and 2-naphthanol(weak base) and 1,4- dimethoxybenzene(neutral) by extracting from tert-butylmethyl ether(very volatile).The goal of this experiment was to identify the three components in the mixture and to determine the percent recovery of each from the mixture. 4) Separation of a Neutral and Basic Substance      A mixture of equal parts of a neutral substance containing either naphthalene or benzoin and a basic substance containing either 4-chloroaniline or ethyl 4-aminobenzoate were to be separated by extraction from an ether solution. Once the separation took place, and crystallization was carried out, it became possible to determine what components were in the unknown mixture, by means of a melting point determination. Results Procedure Observations Inference Dissolve 3.05g Phenol Mixture was a golden-Neutral acid in 30ml brown/yellow color t-butyl methyl ether in Erlenmeyer flask and transfer mixture to 125ml separatory funnel using little ether to complete the transfer Add 10 ml of water               Organic layer=mixture                          aqueous layer=water(clear) Add 10 ml saturated aqueous           Sodium bicarbonate          NaHCO3 dissolves in solution sodium bicarbonate           ... ...sp;      Caffeine salicylate is a Pasteur pipette while the     isolated(white color)          formed. beaker is in the ice bath then vacuum filter. Caffeine beaker:     51.61g           -51.56g                .05g = 50mg % yield = .05g x 100% = 20%      .25g Caffeine salicylate:     17.198g           -17.036g                .062g % yield = .062g x 100% = 25%      .25g Conclusion      According to the HPLC graph that follows, my product was very pure. The actual melting point of caffeine salicylate is 137 degree(C), my product was found to have a melting point of 138 degrees (C). As before, of course this experiment was not done completely error-free, the error is due almost entirely on human error.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Osim Marketing Communication Essay
Osim as a brand revolves around the mission of bringing the best experience of total wellbeing and living an inspiring life. Its values are uphold and practice through every customer interaction, products, stores and an in-depth knowledge of a holistic health. Osim, with over 30 years of experience has been the global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products. Osim continues to strive for developing innovative and reliable lifestyle products to achieve a healthier lifestyle and wellbeing. For a relax and relief experience, users can choose from massage chairs, massage sofas, leg massagers, upper body massagers, handheld massagers , eye massagers and neck pillow. Slim belts and pulse massagers helps one to get tone and shape. In line with its mission of providing a holistic lifestyle, health related products like blood pressure monitor, air purifiers humidifier water purifier and vacuum cleaners are also part of its extensive product range. The launch of Osim Uphoria as the world 1st Tui Na massager amongst more than 10 other different products of functionality had once again propel them as the global leader in providing a holistic lifestyle to its consumers. International celebrity, Joey Yung, was chosen to endorse Osim Uphoria in a TVC shoot. Osim has strategically ride on Joey Yung diva persona where she is notably famous in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore to promote Osim Uphoria as their advertising strategy. Catching up with the internet marketing trend, Osim has created a blog dedicated to its product. osiminspiringlife.wordpress.com can be founded on, google, yahoo and baidu which are the major search engines for their target audience. To combat the Singapore’s market, Osim also created â€Å"osim sg channel†on youtube. Lastly, publicity efforts can be seen in the mentions of celebrity bloggers Darren Ang and Denise making a review for Osim Uphoria. Forums like â€Å" cozycot â€Å" was also commenting on the product. Osim Uphoria has also gain media coverage at Singapore Pavillion at World Expo. Island wide Osim stores also launch promotions with its usual price of SGD 798 Dollars to SGD 698 Dollars. Osim uPebble was put at a package to engage its consumer to buy. Tactics of free delivery and free one year warranty was put into the mix as a complete well worth it package. Competitor Review OTO Bodycare is the key competitor for Osim which doing the same concept as them. There are other competitor too such as Ogawa Pte Ltd. OTO Power Foot has the same focus with OSIM Uphoria leg massager but is less attractive. Reason being it has less features and the price is slightly higher. The machine can be used in various positions – sitting on a chair, standing up, sitting on the floor and lying down. ‘From the last two positions, my thighs were also massaged, but it was rather awkward and uncomfortable’, herworldplus.com. (November 2011) The promotional mix used by OTO to promote Power Foot massager is by using advertising, internet marketing, sales promotion and product awareness. A youtube video showing the OTO power foot demo, brings awareness to the public and also advertising. For sales promotion wise, since Chinese New Year is coming, consumers may get attracted by the lucky draw contest for anyone who spend at least SGD$128. (facebook.com/OTO.Bodycare.sg) Also, with any purchase of OTO products, customer may enjoy a discount for OTO Power Flex at $298 which is worth $538. Ministry of Education Sports & Recreational Club, MERSC, receive free delivery for product worth $300 or more. (mesrc.net, Jan 2013) Overall, OTO promotional mix is mainly focus in general but not on the Power Foot itself. Therefore, in the next topic, we will compare the difference between OTO and OSIM promotional strategies to see which is much attractive. Differences & Evaluation Similarities Both company took advantage of the upcoming festive season which is Chinese New Year to promote and increase their sales. For social media, they use Facebook and YouTube to communicate and build more awareness towards consumers. Differences OSIM put more effort in advertising and promotions. In their website, there’s one button solely for promotion products and the price are also being stated. By doing so, consumer able to meet their budget and make fast decision. Regular article updates on OSIM blog had make it attractive towards consumer to find out more details about their product and event. OSIM invite celebrities Kim Ng to come down and promote their product during the roadshow at Junction 8.(osiminspiringlife.wordpress.com, Jan 2013) Whereby OTO, they only did a simple roadshow to promote their product. OSIM International is better in promotional strategy? Based on my research and views between OSIM and OTO, I would strongly agree that OSIM International is better in promotional strategy wise. Reason is OSIM had put more efforts in terms of promotional strategy which had their brand recognize in Singapore. Trusted and reliable is the first impression they make towards me when I browse their website. I can find every details I need about them in their website. Whereby OTO website is simple and unattractive compared to OSIM. Reason is when a consumer is interested to buy a product, the first question they want to know is how much does it cost. At OTO website, they did not state the price for every product and expect consumer to visit their shop or make a call. This will delay the time and will lower the level of interest towards the product. OSIM had make a good approach towards social media. I would say that OSIM is has more reputable level then OTO as they had built trust towards consumers mind in Singapore. A positive review stated by a customer saying that they are satisfied with OSIM products and services. (yelp.com, 6/9/2012) Recommendation to improve OTO promotional strategy -improvement towards their website This way they can attract more customers and build reputable brand. -improve their brand awareness Make a regular publicity stunt that attract large group of people. Use Google Adword to make it at the top search in the web. -focus more on public relations Make a charitable contribution towards community to create awareness. Write and update articles regularly so that customer may know the latest product launch or any promotions. Reference list: – http://www.herworldplus.com/solutions/road-test/solutions-road-test-product-reviewfootmassagers (retrieved on November 2, 2011) – https://www.facebook.com/OTO.Bodycare.Sg#!/OTO.Bodycare.Sg – http://www.mesrc.net/oto-bodycare-cny-promotions-valid-till-27-jan-2013 (retrieved on 20 November 2012) – http://osiminspiringlife.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/behind-the-scenes-with%e8%b4%a2%e7%a5%9e%e7%88%b7-and-kym-ng/ (retrieved on Jan 22, 2013) – http://www.yelp.com.sg/biz/osim-singapore-6 (retrieved on September 6, 2012)
Friday, January 3, 2020
The Legacy of Darwins On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species on November 24, 1859 and forever changed the way humans think about science. Its not an exaggeration to say that Darwins landmark work became one of the most influential books in history. Decades earlier, the British naturalist and scholar had spent five years sailing around the world aboard a research ship, H.M.S. Beagle. After returning to England, Darwin spent years in quiet study, examining plant and animal specimens. The ideas he expressed in his classic book in 1859 did not occur to him as sudden bursts of inspiration, but were developed over a period of decades. Research Led Darwin to Write At the end of the Beagle voyage, Darwin arrived back in England on October 2, 1836. After greeting friends and family he distributed to scholarly colleagues a number of specimens he had collected during the expedition around the world. Consultations with an ornithologist confirmed that Darwin had discovered several species of birds, and the young naturalist became fascinated with the idea that some species seemed to have replaced other species. As Darwin began to realize that species change, he wondered how that happened. The summer after returning to England, in July 1837, Darwin began a new notebook and took to writing down his thoughts on transmutation, or the concept of one species transforming into another. For the next two years Darwin essentially argued with himself in his notebook, testing out ideas. Malthus Inspired Charles Darwin In October 1838 Darwin re-read Essay on the Principle of Population, an influential text by the British philosopher Thomas Malthus. The idea advanced by Malthus, that society contains a struggle for existence, struck a chord with Darwin. Malthus had been writing about people struggling to survive in the economic competition of the emerging modern world. But it inspired Darwin to begin thinking of species of animals and their own struggles for survival. The idea of survival of the fittest began to take hold. By the spring of 1840, Darwin had come up with the phrase natural selection, as he wrote it in the margin of a book on horse breeding he was reading at the time. In the early 1840s, Darwin had essentially worked out his theory of natural selection, which holds that organisms best suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce, and thus become dominant. Darwin began writing an extended work on the subject, which he likened to a pencil sketch and which is now known to scholars as the Sketch. The Delay in Publishing On the Origin of Species It is conceivable that Darwin could have published his landmark book in the 1840s, yet he did not. Scholars have long speculated on the reasons for the delay, but it seems that its simply because Darwin kept amassing information he could use to present a lengthy and well-reasoned argument. By the mid-1850s Darwin began working on a major project that would incorporate his research and insights. Another biologist, Alfred Russel Wallace, was working in the same general field, and he and Darwin were aware of each other. In June 1858 Darwin opened a package sent to him by Wallace, and found a copy of a book Wallace had been writing. Inspired in part by the competition from Wallace, Darwin resolved to push ahead and publish his own book. He realized he could not include all his research, and his original title for his work in progress referred to it as an abstract. Darwins Landmark Book Published in November 1859 Darwin finished a manuscript, and his book, titled On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races In the Struggle for Life, was published in London on November 24, 1859. (Over time, the book became known by the shorter title On the Origin of Species.) The original edition of the book was 490 pages, and had taken Darwin about nine months to write. When he first submitted chapters to his publisher John Murray, in April 1859, Murray had reservations about the book. A friend of the publisher wrote to Darwin and suggested he write something quite different, a book on pigeons. Darwin politely brushed that suggestion aside, and Murray went ahead and published the book Darwin intended to write. On the Origin of Species turned out to be quite a profitable book for its publisher. The initial press run was modest, only 1,250 copies, but those sold out in the first two days of sale. The following month a second edition of 3,000 copies also sold out, and the book continued selling through successive editions for decades. Darwins book generated countless controversies, as it contradicted the biblical account of creation and seemed to be in opposition to religion. Darwin himself remained mostly aloof from the debates and continued his research and writing. He revised On the Origin of Species through six editions, and he also published another book on evolutionary theory, The Descent of Man, in 1871. Darwin also wrote prolifically about cultivating plants. When Darwin died in 1882, he was given a state funeral in Britain and was buried in Westminster Abbey, near the grave of Isaac Newton. His status as a great scientist had been assured by the publication of On the Origin of Species.
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